Kuong and Faye

Cancer affects us all. You may have heard of someone you know go through it, you may have supported a close friend or family, or you may have had it yourself. In our case, it is our sister. Wind back two years ago, our sister was loving life. She had a great job, had her own apartment and was surrounded with fantastic friends and family. She noticed her stomach was starting to bloat regularly and needing the toilet more frequently, but she thought nothing of it. This went on for a period of time and she finally booked an appointment to see her GP. Things moved swiftly from this point. After various tests and surgery, doctors diagnosed her with Ovarian cancer. Following surgery and chemotherapy, we were all hopeful that the cancer was gone. Our sister started going to the gym and she returned to work. She was full of energy. We had our sister back. Then we were hit with the devastating news that her cancer had returned. This time, it was more aggressive. It had spread to surrounding organs. Our sister soldiered through major surgery, removing a ridiculous amount of diseased tissues. The chemotherapy that followed was more intense than the previous time. You could tell she was more tired, she lost her appetite and bruising would appear around her body. What amazed us the most about our sister was that she never complained. Ever. She was still the same sister we love. Her silliness with our children, her playfulness and her strength to leave the house to meet her friends, even when it hurt. This is the type of person our sister is, never to cause a fuss, thoughtful, considerate and caring. Earlier this year, the dreaded words we did not expect or want to hear...happened. Terminal. But that has not stopped our sister from seeing her friends, playing with her nieces and nephews, and it certainly has not stopped her internet shopping addiction! By telling her story, we want to show our sister that we think she is amazing. We want to raise awareness of ovarian cancer. We want to raise money for Cancer Research UK so they can continue their incredible work to prevent and treat cancer. Ovarian cancer is known as the silent killer, due to late diagnosis and a lack of effective treatment options. The symptoms are not always obvious, especially in the early stages. Below are the symptoms, please see your doctor if you or anyone you know have experienced any of these signs: • feeling full quickly • loss of appetite • pain in your tummy (abdomen) or lower part of your abdomen that doesn't go away • bloating or/and increase in the size of your abdomen • needing to wee more often Knowledge is power. Please donate now and let’s beat cancer together!